NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

Keeping a realistic perspective can mean the difference between a scholarship and the chance to earn a roster spot as a walk-on.  So many times families develop unrealistic expectations due to an early evaluation and fail to modify their collegiate search as time goes on.   While its extremely important to start the recruiting process early it is important to keep a level head.  Yesterday’s New York Times profiled some of yesterday’s top prospects.

“To rank a boy at that age sets up a dynamic of possible failure,” said Dr. Ellen Braaten, an assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School. “I think it’s a tremendous amount of pressure to put on a child. Some are resilient, but there’s definitely the potential for others to develop depression or anxiety disorders.”

Four years ago, Hoop Scoop rated Jon Allen of College Station, Tex., the second-best sixth grader in the country.

He was a 6-2 center who wore size 12 ½ sneakers and was unstoppable in the post. During several A.A.U. tournaments, parents of opponents asked to see his birth certificate.

Allen said he received a recruiting letter from U.C.L.A. when he was in seventh grade. But then his growth spurt sputtered.

“At some point we realized he wasn’t going to become a 7-footer,” Allen’s father, Jud, said. “His friends still call him Big Jon, but now he’s pretty much a normal-size kid out there.”

Allen is now 16 years old, still 6-2, and his awkward transition from center to shooting guard has gone mostly unnoticed by college basketball coaches and recruiting services. There have been no more letters from U.C.L.A.

In consultation with an expert who has provided a substantive and individualized assessment of the student’s practice test, determine what type of test prep would be best suited to the student’s individual needs by considering such questions as: Is the student motivated? Might an ACT or SAT online test prep course be effective? Would a classroom experience be more productive?

 For many families, spring break signals an opportunity to escape the rigors of school or work and spend time relaxing in a warm climate.  However, for student-athletes who are serious about playing at the next level, spring break should provide an excellent opportunity to take an important step in the recruiting process. 

While most travel plans have been made months in advance, one of the easiest things for a potential recruit to do during spring break is visit a college campus.  Visiting college campuses is one of the most helpful steps a student can take in deciding what they are looking for from a school.  For recruits seeking to develop relationships with college coaches, these trips can be one of the most effective ways to further that connection:

Unofficial Visits!

What is an unofficial visit?

An unofficial visit is a visit made at the prospect’s own expense. There is no limitation on the number of unofficial visits made to an institution. The only time an athletics staff member may not meet with a prospect on an unofficial visit is during a declared NCAA Dead Period.

During an unofficial visit, the institution can provide the following:

a) Up to three complimentary admissions to an on-campus athletics event

(Except a championship game)

b) An on-campus tour and transportation to an off-campus practice facility or home contest within 30 miles of campus.

c) Lodging in a dormitory at the prospect’s expense.

d) Academic meetings may be arranged for prospects.

Why schedule unofficial visits?

That’s a great question and the easiest answer is, “why not?”  Any opportunity to visit a college campus and potentially meet with a college coaching staff should be taken advantage of…and unofficial visits provide one of the few outlets for this type of interaction that is completely controlled by the recruit.  Simply put, the more schools a recruit visits, the better!

From a coach’s standpoint, attracting student-athletes to visit the campus is one of the hardest parts of the process and since they have limited budgets (which are shrinking more and more each day) anytime a prospect visits at their own expense it is considered extremely valuable.  Official visits can cost colleges a great deal of money, but unofficial visits can accomplish almost as much at a fraction of the cost!

Why spring break?

Like everything else in life, timing is everything.  Let’s examine why spring break is a great time to schedule unofficial visits:

• Increased coach’s availability. Think about it. Spring break might be one of the best times of the year to actually meet the coach. In early December and January, many college coaches are off campus for winter break. During summer, coaches typically do not spend all their time on campus.
• Better campus experience. Along with having a greater probability of meeting the coaching staff, spring break might be one of the few times that you will be able to visit the campus while students are actually there. Most college campuses are nearly desolate during winter break and summer on campus is a completely different environment than during the school year. However, since the timing of college spring breaks can be different depending on the school, chances are you can find a campus to visit that will have classes in session. This is the best time to visit the campus so you can experience what life would be like as a normal student.
• No school missed. While this might not be the best motivator for some student-athletes, visiting campuses during spring break will ensure that no high school classes are missed by the prospect.
• Often Times more productive than “junior” or “recruitment” days. Every year, thousands of student-athletes attend these scheduled visits (still considered unofficial, but more formal in nature) with the hopes of developing a connection with the coaching staff. Unfortunately, “recruitment” and “junior” days are offered to a lot of other athletes and do not always allow the coach to spend much time with each individual recruit. Scheduling a separate, more personal unofficial visit might be the best way to gauge the coach’s interest in you as a prospect.

*Keep in mind that by the time a student-athlete has reached spring break of their senior year, many have decided upon their college destination and the recruiting process is nearing an end.  This places more importance on scheduling these visits during freshmen, sophomore, and junior year*

How can I schedule an unofficial visit?

As the title would suggest, there is no formal way to schedule an unofficial visit.  The goal should be to have as much contact with the coaching staff / team as possible.  However, here is some quick advice for setting up an unofficial:

• Start planning at least one month in advance
• Begin by sending an introductory email to the coach(es)
• Follow up with a phone call to the coach and let them know you are going to be on campus and would like to meet them. If you already have a relationship, this should be much easier. If you do not, remember that coaches cannot always return phone calls so be persistent in your attempts to reach them.
• When on campus, do not be afraid to visit the coach’s office even if you have not communicated with them before.
• Make sure to bring an athletic and academic resume, video, and transcript.
• Student athletes may participate in workouts that are not organized or observed by the coaching staff.
• Make sure it’s not a dead period for your particular sport!

Aside from all the recruiting advantages that can be had from setting up unofficial visits, student athletes can learn a great deal about the university academically and socially during these trips.  Rarely in the process does a student-athlete have complete control, and with unofficial visits, a recruit can get as much or as little out of the visit as they want.  While it might not be as easy as knocking on the door and handing your video over to the coach…it won’t hurt to try!

Any college coach with a successful program knows that things can turn south quickly with out a constant attention to detail.  Making sure their programs are stocked with top level talent has become a year round job.  Coaches know if they don’t play the game correctly they will soon find themselves out of the job.  The Detroit Free Press recently detailed the current calendar for college football recruiting.

During February and March, schools host Junior Days. These events allow potential recruits and their families visit campuses and get to know the staff, as well as the school’s academic and athletic programs.

In March and April, schools will not only have spring practice, but host prospects on unofficial visits. Coaches often encourage recruits to come and watch a practice to see their particular position coach in action. These sessions are a great opportunity for recruits to not only develop more rapport with the coaching staff, but see the players in action, too.

In May, the evaluation period begins. Over a six-week period, coaches are allowed to visit a recruit’s high school and make one phone call to him. Coaches can’t have conversations with recruits at high schools, but they can say hello and make it apparent that they are there for a good reason. One of the best ways for a recruit to judge a school’s interest is whether they send the coach to the high school during May.

Once the summer hits, it’s camp time. Michigan State has several camp sessions in June and July. It is at these camps that coaches get to work with recruits one-on-one.

After the camps come the regular season. Coaches aren’t only allowed to call home and stop into school, but they can also set up unofficial visits for recruits to visit campus and watch games. The final stage is securing official visits for the most sought-after players and their families.

Potential recruits should look at the calendar and see two things.  The first is that many of these events can only happen if the recruit is being pro-active in the recruiting process.  Unofficial visits evaluations at camp can only occur if recruits are actively contacting schools to promote interest.

The second is point is to realize the long evaluation process that needs to be set into motion as early as possible.  Unless a recruit is on the ball, the process will be going full steam before they even have a chance to get realistically evaluated.If you are hoping ot get recruited the cycle nees to get going now!

The nation’s recession and credit market freeze are forcing parents of college aged children to look at different option than they were considering even a few months ago.  Families are having to make choices based on affordability rather than academic merits.  The Chicago Tribune took a look at a few Illinois families struggling with difficult decisions.

” Illinois students who may have applied to elite colleges-they are still applying there but are also applying to financially feasible schools, such as state schools,” said Jean Childers, a career center assistant at Naperville Central High School.

Over the last year, high school seniors have applied to an average of 7.3 universities and colleges-up from 5.4 the prior year-as they try to ensure getting accepted into a school they can afford, said Craig Powell, CEO of ConnectEDU, a college planner. “We have seen 60 to 65 percent of students are applying to public versus private schools,” Powell said. “A year ago that was just the inverse.”

Of course, athletes compete for scholarship dollars on a different playing field.   While athletic departments across America are feeling the crunch as well, they hold up quite well when compared to academia at large.  But, with the crunch it does mean that student athletes need to understand the financial aid process better than ever.  NCSA’s team of recruiting coaches know the process like the back of their hand.  I urge every potential student athlete to use their advantage to its fullest!

 A state lawmaker in North Carolina has introduced legislation that would eliminate high school sports from schools where more than half of the students score below the 50th percentile on end-of-grade or end-of-course tests for at least two straight years.

Democratic Senator Charlie Albertson defends his bill as a means to spur improvement in schools.

“We certainly want our kids to keep playing sports because we know how important that is, but we need to remember the first thing about a school is to be able to learn to read and write and do math.”

Obviously, the radical plan has many critics, but it raises a larger issue. At some point do schools have to start punishing their students in a more serious manner? What do you think?

Today’s Sporting News featured a fantastic draft diary withOhio State CB Malcolm Jenkins.  Even though he is currently preparing for the NFL Draft he is actively participating in his fraternity to “pass the torch.”  Malcolm goes into detail about how happy he is that he chose a college that allowed him to join a fraternity.

I’ve always tried to feel like a regular student here. I’m involved in the community on campus, and my frat is a huge part of it. A lot of football players feel secluded from campus, or try to seclude themselves. But you’re in college, so I feel like you might as well enjoy that, too.

When I first got here, it was a little different. I wasn’t anti-social, but I was a little shy. So I just hung around my teammates.

My sophomore year, I tried to get out more and that’s how I wound up in the frat. It opened doors for me, with community activities, step shows, campus events.

It reminds you that football is just a part of life. A lot of guys get so caught up in it, they miss out on college, the networking you can do with people. There’s a lot to experience, a lot of other things out there. This campus has programs and internships to help you meet people and set you up for life after college.

You have fun, and get experiences that a lot of people in athletics miss out on.

Coach (Jim) Tressel and the staff support that. They don’t just preach football. They want us to spend as much time at the facility as we can, but also understand life is bigger than football.

Jenkins has clearly enjoyed meeting people outside of the football program and greatly appreciated that his coach allowed him the opportunity.  Its important to realize that his experience would not have been possible at a number of other schools.  If there is a particular aspect of college that is important to you, its important to start contacting colleges early.  By expanding your search you greatly increase the odds of finding the right school that allows you to flourish.

Attending combines and getting verified measurements can be extremely beneficial to recruits. Coaches love to see metrics on players to help with their evaluation process.  But remember that ultimately coaches still want players who can succeed at their level of competition.  Players can always compensate for one missing element by excelling in others.  The Wall Street Journal broke down one college basketball’s best rebounders to reveal his astounding production given his size.

In addition to being a contender for the NCAA title, the Panthers are also a curious statistical anomaly. They’re one of the best rebounding teams in college basketball, yet they have only one player on the roster taller than 6 foot 8 — and that guy doesn’t play. Overall, they’re the shortest team in the top 10.

College basketball statistician Ken Pomeroy, who measures team rebounding percentages, says Pitt ranks No. 15 in defensive rebounding and No. 1 in offensive rebounds, averaging about 30% more offensive boards than the average team. This can be attributed almost entirely to one person: sophomore DeJuan Blair.

Though just 6 foot 7, Mr. Blair is a beast on the boards. When Pitt is on offense and there’s a ball up for grabs, Mr. Blair pulls down the rebound a whopping 25% of the time. That’s almost twice as often as Oklahoma rebound machine Blake Griffin, who’s three inches taller.

Mr. Blair isn’t just the best inch-for-inch rebounder in the college ranks this season; he’s also the best Mr. Pomeroy has ever measured by a margin of nearly five percentage points. How Mr. Blair does this isn’t entirely a mystery. He has a better than seven-foot wingspan, and at 265 pounds, he outweighs most NFL tight ends. He’s also built for rebounding with a backside roughly the size of a Nissan.

On the flip side, I don’t want to spread false hope. Some athletes are truly better off playing at different division levels.  However, some of the most talented athletes in the country just don’t fit into the “typical” mold.  Athletes in this group will naturally be overlooked.  As Mr. Blair’s situation proves those athletes have a chance to play at an elite level, but they need to really push to maximize their recruiting potential by looking and exhausting every option.

I talk to many families about the Five Things they need to Know and the Five Things they need to do to get recruited.  I spend a considerable amount of time explaining why each of these facts is so important and why each action step is necessary.  Afterwards, I always expect families to start racing 1000 mph working to make sure their student athlete fulfills their recruiting potential.  Obviously, this isn’t always the case, but I always wonder why.

If you are sure that you want to play college sports why wouldn’t you give yourself every opportunity to hear from college coaches?  Are families worried about the work involved?  Are they worried that their child will lose interest in their sport?  Do they think that all the work I just described is unnecessary? 

The fact of the matter is that the every recruit needs to go through the work associated with these five steps.  You can’t just wish your way to exposure and a scholarship.  There are too many other prospective recruits across America that are working on these steps right now to ever take a lackadaisical approach.

So really I encourage every family to answer one simple question, “Do you want to play?”

If the answer is yes, then there is absolutely no reason to waste any time!